University Magazine Summer 2001 - Saint Mary's University of ...

With a fellow volunteer in traditional hut.
allergies. Because of these medical conditions my
list of possible country placements was severely
reduced. Instead of going to Eastern Europe, I was
placed on a list of possible candidates for a position
in Zimbabwe, pending medical clearance. After several
months of medical exams and paperwork, I was
officially invited to join the group going to Zimbabwe
in October. I accepted the invitation and left
for Zimbabwe in mid-October.
I spent months preparing. I packed and repacked,
researched the country, and mentally prepared
myself to be away from home for 27 months.
When I got off the plane in Zimbabwe, I was no
longer surrounded by anyone or anything familiar
to me and I realized that my life was about to
change. I was excited and nervous — and scared to
death — but I was determined to make the most of
my experience.
October, 1999 —
Training
I spent October, November and December in
a village near Gweru, Zimbabwe, going through
pre-service training. Training was very difficult.
Sometimes I felt like I was losing my identity
because I was expected to live a totally different
lifestyle than I was used to. I was immersed in
African culture and told to try to fit in as much as
possible. I was expected to act a certain way, dress
a certain way, and become as involved as possible in
the lives of my host family members. I enjoyed the
challenge of learning new customs and traditions,
but sometimes I just wanted to talk to someone
who knew about American customs and traditions
and who understood the things I was
homesick for. The other volunteers were
going through similar emotions so we all
became close friends and supported and
encouraged each other not to quit.
During my training, I lived with a homestay
family — Baba and Amai Mahamba and their
nine children — which was a challenging but
enlightening experience. I learned so much about
Zimbabwean culture and customs from my family.
I also improved my Shona skills because I was
forced to use their language if I wanted to talk to
them. We lived in a three-room house without electricity
or water. The kitchen was a separate hut with
a few dishes and some logs to make a fire, and the
bathroom was an outhouse in the backyard.
December, 1999
Officially
a Peace Corps
Volunteer
Training ended and I was sworn-in as an official
Peace Corps volunteer a few days before
Christmas. My role as a volunteer was not well
defined. My training group consisted of 42 people
and most of them were being trained as teachers;
however, I was one of nine people selected to train
I was excited and nervous
— and scared to death —
but I was determined to
make the most of my
experience.
as a Community Education Resource Volunteer
(CERV). We were the guinea pigs; Peace Corps had
10 years of experience training teachers in Zim-
Learning to grind maize.
I was immersed in
African culture and
told to try to fit in as
much as possible.
I was expected to act
a certain way, dress
a certain way, and to
become as involved as
possible in the lives of
my host family members.
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